Hard Thawing: Experimental Film and Video from Finland

When

Sat, April 12, 2014

2:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Location

national Gallery of Art; East buildig

Hard Thawing: Experimental Film and Video from Finland

Finland’s unique language, distinctive culture, and unusual history are discernible in contemporary Finnish art practice and, notably, in the country’s strong tradition of experimental film and video-making. Conceptual art and aesthetic developments from other regions of the world (especially New York, London, and Berlin) have also made obvious contributions to Finland’s art. Hard Thawing is an attempt to illuminate many of these ideas through a small but diverse collection of artist film and video. The program has been selected and organized by curator Sami van Ingen with support from the Finnish Film Foundation, and with thanks to the Finnish Film Archive and the Embassy of Finland.

Part I: Streams of Light
April 12 at 2:30
East Building Auditorium

It has been said that ultimately film is a system united by rhythm, density, and interruption. This program introduces films made by artists to explore such a “system,” as a possibility for creating new meaning and then locating its limits. The program includes seven short films: The Jump (1965, Eino Ruutsalo); +Plus -Minus (1967, Eino Ruutsalo); The Price of Our Liberty (1990, Seppo Renvall); Popcorn (2001, Liisa Lounila); Texas Scramble (1997, Sami van Ingen); A Physical Ring (2002, Mika Taanila); Routemaster (2000, Ilppo Pohjola). (Total running time 66 minutes)

Part II: Movements
April 12 at 4:00
East Building Auditorium

Language in action is a transformation and also a sort of a movement undefined of ideas, feelings, or difficulties, constantly metamorphosing from one form to another. The ten short works in this program reflect various aspects of this idea, from bodily movements to aspects of global migration. Circle of the Day (1993, Seppo Renvall); (Dis) Integrator (1992, Juha van Ingen); Optical Sound (2005, Mika Taanila); A Life of One’s Own (a long tomorrow) (2008, Kari Yli-Annala); Go-Go (2002, Maria Duncker); Stagecoach (2010, Sami van Ingen); Embarkation (2013, Sini Pelkki); Suddenly, Last Summer (2013, Juha-Mäki Jussila); Platoon (2012, Outi Junila); Coriolis (2013, Milja Viita). (Total running time 62 minutes